Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
11
Nanomaterial-Based Gene
and Drug Delivery
Pulmonary Toxicity Considerations
Mahavir B. Chougule, Rakesh K. Tekade, Peter R. Hoffmann,
Deepak Bhatia, Vijaykumar B. Sutariya, and Yashwant Pathak
CONTENTS
11.1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 225
11.1.1 Pulmonary Drug Delivery: Historical Prospective .................................................. 226
11.1.2 Why Pulmonary Drug Delivery? .............................................................................. 226
11.2 Anatomy and Physiology of the Pulmonary System ............................................................ 227
11.3 Nanotechnology in the Arena of Pulmonary Therapy ......................................................... 230
11.4 Various Nanomaterials Used in Pulmonary Delivery: Toxicity Concerns ........................... 230
11.4.1 Carbon Nanotubes .................................................................................................... 231
11.4.1.1 SWCNTs and Pulmonary Toxicity Issues .................................................. 233
11.4.1.2 MWCNTs and Pulmonary Toxicity Issues ................................................ 233
11.4.2 Buckminsterfullerene (C
60
Fullerene) ....................................................................... 235
11.4.3 Titanium Dioxide ...................................................................................................... 236
11.4.4 Albumin .................................................................................................................... 237
11.4.5 Silica ......................................................................................................................... 239
11.5 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................240
Acknowledgments .......................................................................................................................... 241
References ...................................................................................................................................... 241
11.1 INTRODUCTION
There is a rising rate of pulmonary disorders with high rates of death and morbidity. In this line,
pulmonary drug delivery is emerging as a smart, noninvasive move for the treatment of an assort-
ment of pathogenic disarrays. New classes of pharmaceuticals and biologic agents (DNA, proteins,
peptides, etc.) are fueling the rapid evolution of drug delivery technologies for pulmonary disorders.
Typically, these new therapeutic candidates cannot be delivered effectively by conventional meth-
ods (Figure 11.1). Furthermore, for many conventional pharmaceutical therapies, it has been deter-
mined that the efficacy may be improved and side effects reduced if the therapy is administered via
a sustained and controlled fashion rather than through conventional burst release techniques (oral,
intravenous, intraperitoneal, etc.).
The pulmonary route of administration is increasingly explored as a means for the systemic
administration of therapeutic agents. Directing drugs into the lungs is the most fitting route for the
treatment of pulmonary disorders such as asthma, lung cancer, tuberculosis, and chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease. Numerous studies have focused on the local application of low- and high-molec-
ular-weight drugs for the treatment of these ailments, which conclusively infers how pulmonary
delivery may offer great potentials for small and large molecules, such as proteins and peptides, for
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